Pillar of Yita

After greeting everyone, Briana finally turned her head back.

At this moment, Hilveld held Fang Yu’s hand, walked over to her and Fang Yu, and said with a smile: ”Your Highness Princess, long time no see.”

Briana looked at the two, with a look in her bright eyes that seemed to see through everything: ”Is your business finished?”

”Beyond expectations, Your Highness Princess.” Fang Yu replied, knowing what concerned the Princess, roughly narrating his journey to the south. He briefly mentioned the Dragon Witch and their time in Istania, but mostly talked about the current situation in the Southern Region and the conflicts among the nobles.

Princess Briana looked at him with some satisfaction, asked a few more questions about the Dolifen matters. Fang Yu understood why the Princess was interested in the Dolifen battle because the Elfendo Council was essentially the political legacy left by Sir Mawei and his Highness the Prince.

Finally, when hearing about the adventure beneath Mount Pieriad, Princess Briana’s eyes noticeably sparkled with peculiar light—after Fang Yu finished speaking, she glanced at Hilveld beside her, and after a moment of silence, unconsciously sighed softly.

The sigh disappeared with the wind, causing Fang Yu some surprise. He seemed to hear many complex meanings in that sigh. The Elf Princess looked in the direction of the port, gazing at the tall mast’s tip, and asked: ”Is that the Seven Seas Traveler?”

Fang Yu nodded.

Briana regarded the two: ”Theoretically, the elves of Avenquin are allies of the Colin Kingdom, and I shouldn’t involve myself in this political conflict. We and the Dwarves have long reached an agreement, to advance and retreat together. However, your family...”

”Forget it,” Briana shook her head, ”The elves owe you a favor, and it must be repaid. My father, representing Avenquin, can only let me repay this favor to you.”

Hilveld smiled slightly and said: ”The help from Your Highness Princess, the Albert family will never forget.”

”Never,” Briana glanced at her: ”Mortals should not easily use that word in front of elves.”

”Alright,” she continued: ”You and this silly boy have built the Seven Seas Traveler, fulfilling a wish of your grandfather. I will speak frankly; the real reason I came to see you here, the little lady of the Albert family, you should have already guessed, right?”

Fang Yu listened in bewilderment, glanced at the Princess again, and then at Hilveld beside him.

He only saw Hilveld nodding slightly.

”What do you mean, Your Highness Princess?” he couldn’t help but ask.

”Simply put,” Briana replied: ”The one who helped her before is now asking her to fulfill a promise, to do something for him.”

”The one who helped Hilveld...?”

”It is His Highness the Prince.” Princess Briana replied.

”His Highness the Prince?” Fang Yu was momentarily taken aback before realizing, it was the very prince who was the center of the current kingdom’s political struggle.

Hilveld looked at him and answered softly: ”Remember our journey to Fenris, whether it was Princess Briana, the elves who helped us, or the information about the underground spire, and the reason we could leave Elpaxin, it was actually the other party helping us behind the scenes.”

Fang Yu was greatly surprised upon hearing this, looking at Briana with some astonishment, not expecting the help from this Elf Princess had such a connection.

But the noble lady already asked without humbling herself: ”What does he want me to help him with?”

”He wants to meet with you all.”

”Us?” Even Hilveld was taken aback by this, couldn’t help but turn her head, looking at Fang Yu with a bit of surprise.

Fang Yu was equally surprised. In his impression, he didn’t think he knew that prince.

In fact, to be honest, he didn’t really want to get involved with His Highness the Prince—who is currently at the center of the kingdom’s vortex, but since the other party had once promised Hilveld and indeed helped them, he seemed to have no reason to refuse.

Although Hilveld hadn’t mentioned this matter to them initially, she wasn’t a member of the Seven Seas Travel Group at that time, and now if the other party wanted them to fulfill the promise, he indeed could refuse—even he believed that if he made a decision, the noble lady beside him wouldn’t object.

But this didn’t seem morally justifiable, and moreover, he feared that the Elf Princess in front of him might turn hostile on the spot—she was, after all, the legendary heroine of the Battle of Bain, backed by the even more formidable Sir Roban.

Facing Hilveld’s consulting gaze, Fang Yu thought for a moment, then nodded: ”Alright, but we need to head to Gula first.”

Currently, His Highness the Prince is practically exiled to the edge of the kingdom’s power, being held under house arrest by the Silverwind Knights in Elpaxin, a place closer to Gula yet difficult to enter or leave. It would be best for them to finish other matters first and make thorough preparations.

Briana didn’t seem opposed to this, showing little interest in this matter, only nodding lightly and responding:

”Then we’ll head north along the Cloud Sea, supply at Cloud Harbor when you decide to set out.”

The route she chose aligned with Fang Yu’s expectations. However, given the current time window, there were only a few routes northward.

Currently, the Cloud Sea was in storm season, having crossed this sea twice during such a time was a bit awkward, but they had already been waiting at Crosswind Harbor for several days, and now didn’t have the time to wait out the storm season further.

Fang Yu decided to take a gamble; sooner rather than later, he decisively set the sailing date for the following day, waiting only for the Berio to be prepared, to set sail again.

Since the Berio had originally come from Golande, it hadn’t consumed much supplies along the way, so preparations in fact wouldn’t take much time.

Thus, by the evening of the next day, as Fang Yu’s uncle, aunt, and Su Changfeng’s group saw them off, the two ships slowly departed Crosswind Harbor, one after the other.

...